Playground and other balls and method of making same



Aug. 22, 1933. A. E. FEGAN 1,923,359

ILAYGROUND AND OTHER BALLS AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed July 13, 1931Patented Aug.22,1933 1 1,923,359

UNITED: STATES PATEuT orFlcE PLAYGROUND AND OTHER BALLS AND METHOD OFMAKING SAME Albert E. Fegan, Chicago, 111., assignor to Gen.

Young & Company, Chicago, 111., a Corporation of Illinois ApplicationJuly 13, 1931. Serial No. 550,450

3 Claims. (01. 2-2'75) This invention relates to playground, pastime,stitches previously made at the beginning of the indoor and other balls,and particularly to imseam.

proved covers for balls of the type referred to, In that embodiment 'ofthe invention'shown and to the method of preparing same. in the drawing,10 indicates part of one of the 5 The outer coverings of balls ofthecharacter pieces of cover material and 11 the other piece.

described are usually made of leather, such as Each is provided adjacentits edges with equicow hide, and consist of two elongated piecesdistantly spaced apertures, theapertures shown having curved margins.Said pieces are arin the piece 10 being indicated at 12, 13, 14, 15,ranged over any suitable core or inner construcl6 and 17, and those inthe piece 11 at 18 110.23, tion, one piece longitudinally and the otherlati-. inclusive. tudinally, in such manner that the two pieces, It willbe understood that for purposes of ilwhen connectedcompletely cover thecore, and lustration, the abutting edges of the cover seethe proximateedges of the pieces arestitched to tions 10 and 11 have been shown asstraight, gether. whereas in'practice said sections are cut with two ormore, have been stitched together from with each other to properly fitover the round inthe outside, and the edges of the leather forming nerconstruction of the ball. the seam have been exposed. a The covermembers 10 and llare first ar- It has also been customary, for thepurpose of ranged in position on the core, being cut to proper fasteningthe end of the sewing thread, to overlap size so that in the finishedball the edges 24 and or repeat the sewing of a number of stitches in25, being the. portions located inwardly of the order to form what isknown as lock stitches at apertures, may be inturned and the cover willthe end of the seam. fit smoothly over the core when said inturned Themain-object of thepresent invention is to edges are connected together.produce a ball having cover members securely In Figs. 1 and 2 is shown adouble stitch seam stitched together and in which the seams willnotvproduced by using two needles and threads, the be exposed. Anotherobject is to providemeans threads being indicated at 26 and'27,respecfor securely fastening the ends of the threads tively. The thread26 is passed under the cover forming the stitchesin a manner invisibleextemember 10, up through the aperture 12, over the riorly of the ball,without sewing over-previously edges 24, 25, down through the aperture18 011 sewed stitches. Another object is to produce an the cover 11,under the member 11, up through improved-method of'preparing the cover.I aperture 19, over edges 25 and 24, down In the drawing v I throughaperture 13, under fabric 10, up

Fig. 1 shows parts of two pieces of cover matethrough aperture 1 1, overedges 24, 25, down rial having their edges abuttingand showing throughaperture 20, under cover member, 11, the manner in which double stitchthreads are up through aperture 21, etc. The thread applied fromthe'outside of the cover. 27 is passed under the cover member 11, up

Fig. 2 illustrates the parts shown in Fig. 1 throughaperture 18, acrossedges 25, 24, down after the proximate edges of thecover members throughaperture 12, under fabric 10, up through have been inturned, and thethreads have been aperture 13, across edges 24, 25,' down through drawntaut. aperture 19, under fabric 11, up through aperture Fig. 3 is asectional view taken on the line 3-3 20, across edges 25, 2%, downthrough aperture 1 0 2. i a r 14, under fabric 10,'up through aperture15, etc. 45 Fig. 4 is a View similar to .Fig; 1 showing the. Fig. 1shows the cut edges 24, 25, abutting and manner in which a single stitchthread is applied the threads loosely arranged in order to indicate fromthe outside of thecover. a the method of stitching, but Fig. 2 properlyFig. 5 illustrates the parts shown in Fig. 4 shows the externalappearance of the seam after after the proximate edges of the coversection theedges 24 and 25 have been tucked inwardly r0 have beeninturned and brought together I by and the threads 26 and 27 have beendrawn taut. drawing the thread taut. In the finished state,=the threads26 and 27, sub- Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating, inconstantially parallel to each other and to the innection with a singlestitch thread, how the sewturned margins of the cover sections exceptwhere ing of a seam is commenced and finished for the the threads crossbetween opposite apertures,

purpose of securely fastening the ends of the draw the inturned, edgesof the cover sections tothreads W out p n knots or sewing over gether toform a smooth straight scam in which In prior art constructions, thecover sections, curved margins complemental to and parallel? thestitches are invisible. The crossed portions of the threads whichareshOWn as slightly visible in Fig. 2 are exaggerated in said drawing,for in practice the leather or fabric adjacent the apertures overlapsthe threads where'they cross and practically completelyfhide even thatsmall part drawing. I

In Fig. 4 a single thread stitch is shown, the

thread 28 being passed under the cover section 11,

up through the aperture 18, over edges 25, 24, down through aperture 12,under cover section 10,

up through aperture 13, across edges 24, 25, down through aperture 19,under coversection 11, up'

through aperture 20, etc.,' as shown. When'the edges 24 and 25 have beenturned in and the thread has been drawn taut, said inturnededges appearas indicated in Fig. 5, the seam having a slightly wavy appearance. a

In sewing ball covers having exposed seams, it has been customary toform several lock stitches to end the sewing and to fasten the thread.Such lock stitches have been formed at the end of a seam by sewing overa number of the stitches previously formed at the beginning of the seam.I have devised an improved method of closing and ending the seam. whichis'particularly adapted to the, finishing of unexposed seams where it isimpractical, if not impossible, to form stitches over thosepreviouslyformed at the beginning of the seam without having thesame visible andunsightly.

As shown in Fig. 6, the sewing is commenced by forming a knot in thethread 29, the knot being located under one of the coversections, as

for example, the section'll. The thread 29 is passed upwardly throughthe aperture 30, across the abutting edgesof the cover sections, down-.

wardly through aperture 31, under cover material 10, up through aperture32, over the edges of the cover sections, downwardly through aperture 33and then under the cover section 11 to an aperture 34 locatedbeyondapertures 35 and 36,

leaving an unstitched portion beyond the first formed stitches. Thethread is then passed upwardly through aperture 34, across the "coversections to aperture 37, down through aperture 3'7,

undercover section 10 to aperture 38, up through wardly through aperture43,- under cover section 11 and upwardly through aperture 44, across thecover edges and down through aperture 45, then under cover section 10for a distance beyond the stitched apertures '31 and 32, and up throughaperture 46, overthe'cover edges, down -through aperture .35, undersection 11, -upthrough aperture 36, across cover sections, down throughaperture 4'7. This completes the sewing and then the end 29 of thethread 2 9-is passedv under the cover for an appreciable distance andout through any of the seam apertures where itis cut oil flush withthecover. I

out for purposes of clarifying the description;

T It will be understood that in Fig. 6 thecover sections and the threadsare shown as spread stitchis used. The described method of. titchingpartof a seam, then leaving a part unstitched,

resumingthe stitching to the point of beginning, passing the threadunder the previously stitched portion to the unstitched portion andsewing the .latter, is equally applicable to the double or single:stitch type of seam. of the thread which is indicated as visible in theChangesmay be made in details of construction without departing from thescope of my invention and I do not intend to be limited to the exactform shown and-described except as set forth in the appended claims.

1. 'A'ballprovided with a core and a cover for the core, saidcovercomprising a plurality of sections connected together to fitsmoothly over the core, the abutting cover section edges being aperturedand inturned, a thread stitched through the apertured edges of two coversections to form an endless seam'in which the thread is substantiallyinvisible externally of the cover and the thread ends-securely fastenedby the seam to prevent' opening of the seam, saidcover having thestitch-forming thread forming; a number of stitches connecting adjacentedges together, said thread extending beneath the cover to a pointremoved from the first formed stitches, and forming stitches connectingadjacent cover edges between said unstitched portion and the beginningof said first formed stitches, said thread extending beneath thestitched portion of the cover to the unstitched portion and formingstitches connecting said initially unstitched cover sections, and theend of the thread extending under the cover to a point removed from saidlast formed stitches.

2. A ballof the character described having a cover comprising aplurality of sections adapted to be secured together to smoothly fitovera core, said cover sections having their edges aper- 'tured, a pairof threads forming double stitches connecting said sections together,each thread passing from the point of beginning upwardly through anaperture in one section, a cross abutting section edges, downwardlythrough an aperture in the second section opposite the first mentionedaperture, under said second section, outwardly through the next adjacentaperture in the second section, and across the section edges, downwardlythrough an aperture in the first section' opposite said last mentionedaperture in the second section, and under said first section, upwardlythroughthe next adjacent aperture of the first section, etc., the edgesof thecover beyond the apertures being inturned and the threads taut toconnect the sections and to render --the stitches substantiallyinvisible, said cover having the stitch forming threads forming a numberof stitches connecting adjacent edges together, said threads extendingbeneath the cover to a point removed from the first formed stitches, andforming stitches connecting adja- I 3. The method of preparing a coverfor a ball of the character described, which consists'in cutting aplurality of cover sections adapted when connected together to fit overthe core of the ball, punching equi-distantly spaced apertures in saidSections slightly inwardly of the edges, ar-

continuing same to the beginning of the first formed stitches, passingthe thread around said first formed stitches, stitching the unstitchedportion, passing the end of the thread to a point removed from said lastmentioned stitches.

ALBERT E. FEGAN.

